July 17th and 19th - Walking Explorations of Rugao

July 17th - Shuihui Park and Kite Store 

Our walk to the park took us through a beautiful little historic neighborhood.  Thirty years ago, a greater part of Rugao looked just like this alley.  This particular district has been preserved and most of the residents are elderly, having shared these homes for many generations.

Shuihui Park - created by a salt merchant nearly 1,000 years ago for his family and mistress.

Notice the tree that has been trained to grow up through the rock.  Cool!

Kay, Dianna (our Kansas City friends and colleagues), Lisa, DeAnn, Linda

Rugao is famous for its potted landscapes.  

1,000 year old tree!  Seriously!!

Oh, how we love these women!
Anna - head of English Department
Christina - Lisa's teaching assistant
Annabelle - Linda's assistant
Lydia - DeAnn's assistant

Just outside Shuihui Park, we visited Rugao's most famous kite shop.  The woman who owns the shop and whose family makes all the kites very proudly shared with us her photo album of the two trips she has made to Paris for kite exhibitions.

This huge kite is adorned with whistles, which look like bells, and will make a whistling sound that can be heard for miles when flown.

Bobby!

Paper cutting of merchant and said mistress

July 19th - Rugao's incredible Buddhist Temple and city streets

After our last day of class, we five were given tickets to the Buddhist Temple, which sits directly behind the college.  After being given very clear directions on how to get there and when to go and when to return and how to get back to our hotel plus Bobby giving us a hand-drawn map (again, we could see it from the college), we went on our first unaccompanied tourist excursion.  We had certainly struck off on our own before - jaunts to the grocery store and little bits of shopping, but this felt like a very big deal.  Our hosts in Rugao felt such a sense of responsibility towards us.  In fact, they took turns each night staying at our hotel so we would have someone near, "just in case."  Having said all of this, we must admit to loving this little taste of freedom to explore and set our own agenda, so to speak.  Having visited many, many temples throughout our stay in China, this one proved to be our favorite!

Largest incense burner to date.  Huge!

Note the tiny Lisa in the background.

Incredible pagoda!
And, yes, we climbed all the way to the top.  We had learned earlier that pagoda simply means tower, and is not necessarily associated with a religious site.

Inside the pagoda - each floor is devoted to different deities.

 

Great views of Rugao from top of the pagoda.

Our beloved school in the distance!

Fireworks and incense stand just outside the temple

Sights and sounds on our way home from the temple.
Note the the visor, long sleeves, AND gloves.
Women are very diligent about avoiding the sun.

EGGS!

Biggest steamed buns we'd ever seen!

Rugao, our home away from home for 13 days, will forever hold a special place in our hearts.